


Iroh's Holiday

by CoolDudette



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Family Fluff, Feel-good, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Happy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-23
Updated: 2020-05-27
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:21:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,989
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24337309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CoolDudette/pseuds/CoolDudette
Summary: It's three years after the events of the finale of Avatar: The Last Airbender. Iroh is temporarily closing his tea shop, the Jasmine Dragon, to take a well deserved two month holiday (much to the despair of his regular customers). He wants to travel the world. To see the Northern and Southern water tribes. To catch up with the members of the White Lotus. To visit his beloved nephew in the Fire Kingdom. To meet the ancient, wise lion turtle that Aang spoke of. But to do all this he'll need to borrow the Avatar's sky bison. Can he convince Aang that he'll make a suitable temporary guardian for precious Appa?This will be a happy fluffy story mainly featuring my two favourite Avatar characters: Iroh and Appa.Don't expect regular updates - my main project at the moment is a Star Wars Doctor Who crossover which I try to update once every couple of days, so I'll only be working on this story when I'm ahead of schedule on the other one. I promise to give this story my full attention once I've finished the other one, though.P.S. I haven't yet seen the Avatar movie or the Legend of Kora series, so I'm sorry if some of the stuff in my story is inconsistent with those.
Relationships: Aang/Katara (Avatar), Mai/Zuko (Avatar), Sokka/Suki (Avatar)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 16





	1. See you later Jasmine Dragon

"No," Iroh said, packing his favourite boxes of tea into a knapsack, "you cannot turn the Jasmine Dragon into a cabbage shop."

"Only while you're away!" the reedy stranger at the counter begged. "Please, my cabbages are _always_ getting destroyed, and I have a bumper crop coming. I need somewhere safe to store them!"

Iroh's amber eyes narrowed. "Aren't you that guy who tried to have the Avatar arrested for destruction of property?"

The thin man's face paled. "No! That was some other cabbage guy. He _does_ fly about awfully recklessly with that glider of his though!"

"Out!" Iroh snapped, pointing to the door. "There'll be no enemies of the Avatar in this shop!"

In the scowling silence that followed the deep baying of a sky bison could be heard, faintly.

"My cabbages are in danger!" the stranger screeched, and he bolted from the building, the bell above the door jingling at his exit.

Iroh shook his head with a chuckle and tied the ends of his knapsack to a sturdy stick. He hefted it over his shoulder, placed a battered straw hat over his eyes, and headed to the door.

He turned and surveyed the Jasmine Dragon. The place was usually bustling, cheery and warm, but now it looked desolate with the stools up on the tables and curtains blocking out the sunlight. "I'll be back soon," Iroh promised his beloved tea shop, "to give you the love you deserve." Then he stepped out into the sunny, narrow street and began to lock up.

A shadow passed overhead with a rush of wind, and Iroh glanced up to see Appa soaring above him, heading for a little park at the end of the street - the only nearby place with enough open space for him to land. Iroh grinned, grabbed his knapsack, and ran towards the bison with one hand holding his hat in place. His wooden sandals slapped against the cobblestones.

"Hi, Iroh!" Aang called down cheerily from his seat at the front of Appa's saddle. "Are you ready for your family reunion?"

The Avatar was dressed in a comfortable tan-coloured tunic and breeches, with a simple cloth belt around his waist. His head was, as usual, bald and shiny, showing off his blue Avatar tattoo.

"I sure am," Iroh called back. "Now tell me, how on earth am I supposed to get up there?"

Appa rumbled deep in his throat and moved one of his gigantic legs to provide a platform for Iroh to step onto.

"Step on the leg and then jump up to the saddle," Aang said.

"Can't you airbend me up?" Iroh protested.

"You're the dragon warrior! You can climb up the side of a sky bison."

"I am an old man, _and_ I am on holiday."

Aang laughed good-naturedly and waved with his staff. An unnatural breeze blew up Iroh's robe and spiralled him into the air, depositing him ungracefully onto Appa's saddle.

"Remind me to just climb next time," he grumbled, smoothing down his rumbled clothing.

"Yip yip!" Aang called, and Appa brought his great tail crashing down, bending the air in order to heave his great bulk off the ground. He and his two passengers lifted smoothly upwards, the tireless bison heading for the sky. Aang pulled the reigns and guided Appa to fly towards the Fire Kingdom.

 _Three passengers,_ Iroh corrected himself mentally as Momo came bounding down from Aang's shoulder to sniff at Iroh's knapsack.

"Oh no you don't," Iroh growled, pushing the lemur away. "These snacks are _mine!"_

"He's just hungry," Aang said, and Iroh begrudgingly offered the lemur a piece of jerky. Momo snatched it and scampered back up to Aang's shoulder, chittering excitedly.

"Would you like a cup of tea, young Avatar?" Iroh asked.

Aang left Appa in charge of navigation and came to sit cross legged in front of Iroh as the old man brought a teapot out from his knapsack and filled the strainer with some of his favorite green tea leaves.

"Could you fill the teapot with water please?" Iroh asked, and the Avatar obligingly waved his hands, bending water out of the clouds and funnelling it into the pot. Iroh held the teapot between his palms, heating the water with fire bending until a steady bubbling could be heard from within. Warm, aromatic steam wafted out of the teapot's spout.

Iroh poured tea into two clay cups and handed one to Aang.

"I have a favor to ask," Iroh said as Aang blew on his tea.

"Aren't I already doing you a favor?"

"Yes but I want a bigger one."

"What is it?"

"I don't just want Appa to give me a lift to the Fire Kingdom. I want to borrow him for two months."

Aang's eyes bulged. "Borrow _Appa?!"_

"I'll take very good care of him."

"He's not a pack horse! He's my friend, I can't just send him away!"

"Friends don't always need to be together to prove their love for one another. Zuko and I don't love one another any less now that we're living in different kingdoms. We're still a family."

"But you don't have any experience with taking care of a sky bison. What if you don't feed him enough? Or too much and he gets too fat to fly? What if you push him too hard, or don't exercise him enough?"

"How about this. Travel with Zuko and I in the Fire Kingdom for a couple of weeks. I'll prove to you that I can take good care of Appa. If you aren't satisfied with my care of him I will travel to my holiday destinations by boat instead - it'll be slower and I won't get to see as many different places, but it'll still be a relaxing holiday. If you are satisfied with my care of him I'll drop you back at the air temple and then go travelling with Appa for a while."

Iroh sipped at his tea while Aang mulled the idea over. It was perfectly steeped, the bitterness of the fresh tea leaves counteracted by the sweet dried fruits he had added to the mix. Its warmth spread through him, counteracting the biting high altitude wind.

"Alright," Aang said at last, "but my standards will be exacting. You can watch how I take care of Appa for a couple of days. And I expect you to memorise _everything._ After that, I'll watch you care for Appa for two weeks. If you make a single mistake... No travelling with my sky bison."

Iroh bowed gratefully. "That is all that I ask. Thank you, great Avatar."


	2. The Fire Lord

After a long conversation about the upcoming wedding celebrations - Aang and Katara, and Sokka and Suki were planning their weddings for early next year - Iroh settled down for a nap, pulling his hat low over his eyes to block out the sun. It took most of the day for Appa to fly from the Earth Kingdom to the Fire Kingdom, and by the time Aang gently woke Iroh from his nap night was falling. Overhead the sky was dusky blue, and the horizon was awash with magnificent oranges, reds and pinks. A few purple-tinted clouds hovered around the mountains below.

"We're here," Aang said, a hand on Iroh's shoulder. "The capital city of the Fire Nation."

"You let me sleep too long!" Iroh grumbled, struggling up into a sitting position. "I'll be awake all night now."

"Great! You can show me the night life of Capital City then!" Aang grinned.

Appa let out a bellow of greeting as he circled down toward the Royal Palace. Iroh peered over the edge of the saddle and chuckled at the guards running about in a panic over the descending sky bison.

"Perhaps I should have sent Momo ahead with a message," Aang mused, "to let them know we're coming."

"Nonsense. You are the Avatar. All great cities should be ready to host you at any time. You do them great honour by coming here."

"Hmm..." Aang seemed unconvinced. "Uninvited guests can be annoying."

Iroh shrugged. "They are guards. Running about is in their job description." He busied himself with packing his tea set back into his knapsack.

By the time Appa landed amid billowing air, the Fire Lord himself was striding down the palace steps. Appa had landed inside the stone wall surrounding the palace, on the road leading up to the great building's main entrance. The road ended in a set of wide, majestic stone steps, above and behind of which rose the great red and gold palace itself, all turrets and towers. And reaching the end of the steps was Fire Lord Zuko.

He looked magnificent, dressed in the red, gold and black of traditional Fire Nation uniforms. A sweeping cloak with upward-curving shoulder crests hung over tunic and breeches. His dark hair was gathered back into a glossy bun, into which had been inserted the crest of the Fire Lords. Contrasted against the bold red of his collar, Zuko's scar was bleached of colour, less noticeable. He looked healthy and happy.

Iroh suddenly found he had the energy to climb up and down from Appa's saddle after all. With an agility that belied his age he vaulted over the edge of the saddle, slid down Appa's side, and ran down the road towards Zuko.

As his enthusiastic uncle drew closer, Zuko abandoned all pretence of regal dignity and began running too, a grin spreading across his face. Uncle and nephew collided and seized one another in a tight embrace.

"I missed you, Uncle!" Zuko grated.

"I missed you too," Iroh replied.

Though the two visited one another frequently, and it was rare for a few weeks to go by without at least one staying with the other for a weekend, Iroh sometimes longed for the days when they had lived together in exile from the Fire Nation. But that was only until he remembered how tormented Zuko's soul had been back then.

The teenager - now a young man - had come a long way in the years since he had become the Fire Lord. He was mature and responsible now. He had found his own path and he walked it with confidence. Iroh had to wipe away a few tears of pride as he released the nephew that he thought of as a son.

"It is good to see you," Zuko said, squeezing Iroh's arm. "Mei will be pleased to see you, too." Then he walked past Iroh to greet the Avatar.

Aang smiled cheerily at Zuko, who gazed down at the shorter man impassively. "After years of hunting you," he said softly, "now you come to me willingly. The old me would have challenged you to an Agni Kai."

Aang's smile began to fade, but then Zuko laughed. "Just kidding!" Aang laughed too, and they hugged.

Appa came trundling over, his enormous weight shaking the ground, and he greeted Zuko with a lick of his great, wet tongue.

"Outstanding," sighed a sopping wet Zuko. "It's hard to maintain my Lordliness around you, you know, Appa." He removed his damp cloak, used it to dry his face, and dropped it to the ground. An aide scurried forward and hurriedly yanked the royal garment out of the dust.

"See that the Avatar's sky bison gets comfortable housing in the royal stables," Zuko said to the aide, "and plenty of hay. Oh, and please send refreshments for four to my chambers. Actually, since Uncle is here... better make it enough food to feed a small army, and a selection of exotic teas."

The aide bowed low, and Zuko turned back to Iroh and Aang, putting his arms about them as they began climbing the steps towards the palace proper. He looked much more like his old self in just a tunic and breeches, but Iroh couldn't stop glancing admiringly at the flame-shaped crest in his hair. His nephew, the Fire Lord.


End file.
